The Sea Prince
by knightsqueen05
Summary: A fantasy/historical love story loosely based on three different versions of "The Little Mermaid". Two demons manipulate the actions of a love triangle between a village princess, her fiance through an arranged courtship, and a sea prince. Who will she choose? Will she marry for love or will she marry for commercial gain?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A long time ago, before modernity became what we know of it today, there existed a small village in the southern region of Japan. The people of the village were content with what they had. It was near the Sea of Japan and it had a vast amount of rice and tea leaf fields. So in that regard, it was wealthy in terms of trade and commerce.

The people of the village were led by a ruling family: the Ikeda family. In the family, there was Akio, his wife Ava, and their only child, Kiyoni. It's an interracial family. Akio met Ava while on a commercial excursion to Africa. Ava was a princess in a small African tribe. After a couple of years, and breaking through the language barrier, they married and Ava left her home to be with Akio in Japan. They lived peacefully ever since.

As summer approaches the village, the people make their preparations to celebrate the birthday of the village princess, Kiyoni. She's turning eighteen this year, a milestone birthday because it is at this age she can marry. Unfortunately for her, Akio has already chosen a suitor: Yusuke, son of Lord Raizen and Lady Atsuko, and prince of a nearby village. The arrangement was made back when the kids were fifteen years old. Kiyoni can't stand Yusuke due to his obnoxious behavior and absolutely refuses to marry him, but she can't say that to her father, due to the fact that the arrangement was set up for financial gain and not for love. By marrying Yusuke, Kiyoni's village is entitled to clothing and weaponry from his village. As princess, she feels the need to put the needs of her people before her own.

Outside of the village palace, Prince Yusuke arrives with his royal entourage and the items that were promised. He looks proud riding on his horse as he wears a green and gold yukata and grey pants. In his arms he holds a couple of bouquets of bright red roses, one to give to his future mother-in-law and one to give to his future bride. He may be obnoxious, but that doesn't mean he's downright cold to people, especially to women. "Make way for your future ruler, make way," cried a guardsman. The people looked at their future prince in awe. Never have they seen someone so proud and strong. Not since Akio. The royal family stands outside their home awaiting the prince. Yusuke and his entourage stop as soon as they enter through the palace gates. He dismounts from his horse and makes his way to the palace steps.

"Lord Akio, Lady Ava I bring you my sincerest greetings from home on behalf of my father Lord Raizen, my mother Lady Atsuko, and myself," He proclaims as he bows towards the family.

"Prince Yusuke, welcome. We are honored to have you here," replied Akio, "I see you brought gifts."

"Yes my lord. They're for my future mother-in-law and future bride." Lady Ava blushes while Kiyoni rolls her eyes. Yusuke then hands the flowers over to the women.

"Why thank you Prince Yusuke," Ava says, "They are very beautiful. Don't you agree Kiyoni?"

"Huh? Oh yeah they're fantastic," Kiyoni answers sarcastically. The mere sight of her future husband instantly ticked her off.

"Come Yusuke! Let us discuss your future plans with my daughter. It won't be long until you officially become my son-in-law," commands Akio.

"Yes my lord as you wish," Yusuke replied.

As the men walk away, Ava and Kiyoni are left behind holding their flowers. "Why do I have to marry someone like _him_ mother," asks Kiyoni, "I just don't see how we fit."

"Now Kiyoni you know as well as I do why this marriage has to take place," Ava answered, "But enough about him. Why don't we go finalize plans for tonight? It is your big birthday party after all." Ava begins to guide her daughter away.

"Yes mother. That'll somewhat put a smile on my face."

Outside the village and near the tea leaf fields, stands a small man wearing all black observing the scene. "Hmm. This village looks promising," says the small man. "Promising for what," asks a woman who was standing behind him. The couple in question is Hiei and Mukuro. They're mischief demons. They spot humans that they want to pick on and they go for it. Often times they ruin the lives of their victims, but this time around, they decided to do things a little differently.

"Why don't I change things up a bit Mukuro?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"If there's one thing I can't stand about humans, it's their penchant for finding love. Humans go through such great lengths just to be with someone, even going as far as losing their lives at their own expense. I want to put an end to it."

"Now why would you want to do that? From what I heard, love is the reason why so many humans exist now. And if I'm not mistaken, without humans, we can be bored for eternity."

"Really? Not in _this_ village." Hiei points his thumb in the village's direction.

"What do you mean?' Mukuro asks.

"The village princess is arranged to be married to the prince of a nearby village, but it seems that she wants to give her heart to someone else. I'm gonna make sure that doesn't happen."

"And what are you gonna do? Kill every man she sees?"

"If I have to, yes."

"You're reckless Hiei."

"Ha! I was born to be reckless Mukuro."

"Ok. Why don't we make it a challenge?"

"A challenge, how?"

"If you're going to prevent her from finding love, I'll help her _achieve_ it."

Hiei laughs, " _You_?! Help a human?" He continues to laugh.

"I'm serious. It's time we got competitive anyway. And we're in good timing. I hear summer is the perfect time for love to grow and mature" She looks up at the sun.

"Alright. Why don't we raise the stakes a little?"

"Go on," she looks at him with interest.

"The princess will be old enough to marry this year. Which means she'll be old enough to bear a child. I say that by summer's end, she must be with one of our chosen champions. Whomever she marries must also bear his child."

"Hmm. Interesting. I'm in. Now, what will be the prize?"

" _That_ I'll leave to you."

"Alright. If _I_ win, I get your Jagan eye. If _you_ win, you can have me whenever you want."

Hiei considers her proposal. In some strange way, he has been sexually attracted to her, "Alright for the sake of argument, it's a deal." Hiei sticks out his hand. Mukuro follows suit and shakes hands; the deal is made. Hiei begins to walk away, "Good luck finding your 'romantic soldier.'" He vanishes. Mukuro turns her attention towards the village, Now. Who will be my 'romantic soldier' indeed? She thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It's the night of Kiyoni's birthday party. The royal family, along with Yusuke, and the noblemen of the village are onboard a large, royal ship along the lukewarm waters of the sea. There's music, dancing, laughing, and all-around joy aboard the ship as they all celebrate tonight's "maiden of honor".

Meanwhile, within the waters below, another young royal is celebrating a birthday this night. His name is Kurama, son of Emperor Youko and Empress Shiori, and prince of the Sea of Japan. He too is turning 18 tonight. As a part of sea life tradition and as a birthday present to him, Kurama is allowed to view the surface world. He's excited; his two friends have already done so and have told him so many stories about it. They're excited that they get to go with him for his turn.

The two friends in question are Kuronue and Karasu. Kuronue has been friends with Kurama since they were guppies. He's seen with a high-positioned, waist length ponytail with a deep-blue fin. Karasu isn't really a _friend_ of Kurama's, but more of an acquaintance. He's had a crush on the prince since they were fifteen and has tried many times for Kurama to return the favor to no avail. He can be seen with blonde, curly, waist length hair and a red fin. Kurama has an emerald-green fin, the same color as his eyes. The three mermen are currently searching for a place for Kurama to get his first glimpse of the surface world.

"So what will I expect to see tonight," he asked.

"Humans. Lots of humans," they both reply in unison.

"I will admit, there are some humans that are worth looking at a second time," Karasu continued, "but of course none of them are as beautiful and special as you are my prince." He looks at Kurama with stars in his eyes.

"Here you go again Karasu," Kuronue implies, "When _will_ you learn?" Just then, the three mermen alert themselves to the strange sounds coming from the surface.

"Perhaps now is a good time to go up," Kurama asks looking up. Karasu and Kuronue both nod their heads in unison, also looking up. Once they're above water, the find the source of the strange noise: fireworks. The fireworks were coming from the Ikeda family ship. The young mermen have arrived just in time to witness a human birthday party.

"Oh my," Kurama looks at the ship in awe, "does anyone know what that is?"

"It's called a 'ship'," answers Kuronue, "it's a vessel that allows humans to travel across water."

"Oh yes, I saw many of these ships when _I_ first visited the surface," Karasu implied.

"I'm gonna get closer," Kurama starts swimming towards the ship.

"Wait! Kurama!" Karasu cries, "Don't get too close! You'll get caught that way!"

"I'm just gonna take a look," Kurama shouts while swimming away.

"Listen to the nitwit for once Kurama!" Kuronue shouts back. At this point, Kurama is too far away to listen.

"Should we follow," Kuronue asked.

"Even though I couldn't live with myself if anything happens to my sweet prince, we have to let him handle this on his own. We were in the same position _we_ first visited the surface."

"(Kuronue sighs) I guess you're right nitwit."

As Kurama is getting closer towards the ship, he can hear a man making a speech. "Attention everyone! May I have everyone's attention please?" It's Kiyoni's father, Akio.

"I have a speech to make," he steps towards the middle of the ship to continue his speech, Ava in tow, "Twenty-one years ago, I went on a journey that forever changed my life. I visited a different part of the world, and I met someone who has…improved my life. Three years later, our union has produced someone who has made _both_ our lives worthwhile," he points towards Kiyoni, "This celebration is not only to celebrate my daughter's life, but it is now a celebration of her future!" Yusuke steps towards Kiyoni and hands her a cup of juice. Akio finishes his speech, "It's an engagement party everyone! To my daughter Kiyoni and my future son-in-law Prince Yusuke: may your lives be long and your marriage strong." He raises his glass while everyone on the ship follows suit. "Cheers!" they say in unison. The music resumes.

Yusuke finishes his drink and looks at Kiyoni, she's clearly upset about the news that was just announced. "Oh come on princess, I thought people are happy when they celebrate a birthday," he continues, "This _is_ your birthday party after all." "I would be happy if you were never around!" Kiyoni exclaims. She later throws her drink at Yusuke and storms off. A couple of Yusuke's guardsmen come to his aid, "Are you alright my lord," asks one of them. "I'm fine. She'll come around eventually," Yusuke replied.

Outside the ship, Kurama is still observing it. He's in awe of everything about this vessel: the design, the size, the speed on which it travels, the detail. It's not until reaches the opposite side of the ship, near the rear, that he notices something instantly catching his eye. He notices a young woman. She's standing near the rear of the ship completely alone and unhappy. She is seen wearing a purple cheongsam dress with gold trimming and pink and orange flowers near the bottom hem for decoration with a gold shawl wrapped around her arms and waist. Her hair is neatly pulled back into a bun the size of a large donut with the starlette lily flower positioned in the hair near the bun. The lights of the ship illuminate her light golden brown skin. However, all that paled in comparison to her amethyst purple eyes. It was those eyes that mesmerized the sea prince. He had never seen anything or anyone more beautiful. Curious, Kurama swims closer to get a better look at this gorgeous creature, but just as he was about get within range, Kiyoni notices him in her peripheral. She turns her head slightly to the right to get a better look, but when she tries to find him, he's gone. He had slipped underwater just in time to avoid detection. He pops back up when the coast is clear.

Just then, the winds above the sea start to pick up. A storm is approaching the ship. Or better yet, the ship is approaching the storm. Kurama sees the possible danger but can't do anything about it. He's too afraid that his efforts would turn back on him. Back on the ship, its captain informs Lord Akio that a storm is coming and that it's time to turn back. Akio, inebriated at this point, dismisses the warning and tells the captain to keep steering. Using his better judgement, the captain returns to his post and starts to turn the ship around. The storm clouds meet the ship at the same time. Shortly after, lightning strikes the sea a short distance from the ship. The ship's passengers freeze in terror, completely aware by now that a storm is approaching. "Everyone! Get below deck! Hurry!" Yells the captain. The passengers heed the captain's orders and make their way below deck. The wind picks up some more and it starts to rain heavily.

Once below deck, Yusuke starts to look for Kiyoni. He'll feel better once he sees she's safe. "Lord Akio, have you seen Kiyoni," he asked. "No, I thought she was with you," Akio replied. Concerned, both men return to the top deck. The storm is in full swing by the time they make it. While most of the crew is fighting to maintain control, a couple of crewmen are at the rear of the ship. Kiyoni is standing outside the ship hanging onto the railing. She has made last minute plans to kill herself. As the crewmen are trying to convince her not to jump, Kurama helplessly watches the drama unfold. "Please princess, don't jump. You have far too much of your life left to live for you to end it so soon," cries one of the crewmen. "Leave me alone," she shouts, "I'm not about to ruin my life by spending it with him. I simply refuse!" Kurama swims towards the ship, braving the strong waves. Suddenly, another lightning bolt hits near the ship, startling the princess, causing her to fall into the sea screaming. "PRINCESS!" Cries the crewmen. Yusuke and Akio arrive to meet the crewmen shortly after the fall. "KIYONI!" they cried. Yusuke grabs one of the crewmen by the shirt angrily, "Why the hell didn't you try to save her," he asked. "I'm sorry my lord," the crewman responds, "We tried to convince her, but she simply refused." "DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH TROUBLE YOU'RE IN," Akio asks again angrily. By then another member of the crew grabs both Yusuke and Akio and guides towards below deck under Lady Ava's orders. Kiyoni falls into the sea, becoming instantly unconscious upon hitting her head on a rock, causing it to bleed. Kurama tries desperately to save her. Meanwhile, the ship's crewmen try their best to get the ship back in order and back home which lasts throughout the night.

The next morning, the ship returns safely to the harbor. Immediately, the ship's crew and passengers search for their missing princess, both on land and in the sea. At the same time, on a different area of the shoreline, Kurama manages to rescue Kiyoni and safely brings her ashore. Taking a moment to analyze the situation, Kurama tries to figure out his next move. He looks to Kiyoni for any ideas. Although unconscious, Kurama is captivated by her beauty and soon finds himself staring at her. He takes another moment to admire the maiden, studying her face, body and clothing. First it was her eyes that captured him, but as he's looking at her face, he notices her soft, pink lips. The color of them could fit in any flower garden he had back home. Curious and unsure of what to do, Kurama could only do what he thought was right: he kisses her. Unknowingly, it was his kiss that revived the princess. "*Cough, cough, cough*," Kiyoni starts to come to, water comes out of her mouth. When she tries to open her eyes, she starts to make out a figure in her mind. The first thing she notices is Kurama's red hair and emerald green eyes. Her vision's blurry but she can at least see that sort of. At the same time, her right arm starts to come up as if she's trying to touch something. Sensing trouble, Kurama instantly goes into defense mode and moves towards the water, immediately disappearing beneath the waves. Kiyoni is still returning to consciousness when she hears a voice in the background, "HEY! I FOUND HER, I FOUND HER! EVERYONE COME QUICK!" Upon hearing the voices in the background, Kiyoni slips back into unconsciousness. Some of the village people gather around to find their princess and immediately try to help her. Meanwhile, standing on of a rock hill and away from the prying eyes of humans, Mukuro observes everything that just happened, I think I found my champion, she thought with a smirk on her face, it's no question, that young merman will be my champion.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Back underwater, Kurama tries to search for his friends. He finds them nearby. "Kurama!" shouts Karasu swimming toward him, arms outstretched, "Thank the sea gods you're alright my sweet prince." Kurama awkwardly accepts Karasu's embrace. "Are you alright man," Kuroune asks while swimming towards his friend, "That storm looked pretty nasty. We tried to catch you before it got worse."

"Yes, yes I'm alright." Kurama removes himself from Karasu's grasp.

"Did any humans see you," Karasu asks concerned.

"No. I hid myself well."

"Did you see any humans," asks Kuronue.

"Yes. I saw a few," Kurama has flashbacks of Kiyoni, "…But there was this one who stood out. I see your point Karasu. There _are_ some humans that are worth taking a second look at."

"Don't tell me you're falling in love with a human," Karasu gets jealous, "Who is she? I'll blow her head off!"

"Easy there nitwit," Kuronue assures Karasu, "Kurama has had his fun, now leave the poor merman be, alright?"

Kurama looks up at the surface. He reminisces about the kiss he gave Kiyoni, "Such a beautiful human," he thought.

"Hey! Kurama!" Kuronue shouts from a distance, Karasu in tow, "you coming?"

"Sorry! Here I come!" The three mermen swim home.

Back on the surface, Kiyoni wakes up to find herself in her bedroom surrounded by handmaidens and her mother. "Oh thank goodness you're awake," Ava cries.

"Yeah I'm glad I'm awake too," Kiyoni replied, "so where's my savior?"

"Savior?"

"Yes. I remember waking up seeing a figure. I couldn't really make out much on what he looked like."

"Oh yes, the one who found you! I'll go get him for you." Ava leaves the room. In the hallway, Ava finds the man who found her daughter and brings him to her. "Here he is!" She announced. He's a middle-aged man with dark hair wearing a dark blue yukata.

Although Kiyoni is happy and appreciative for the one who found her, she's disappointed. The man who found her did not look like the one she saw when she first woke up. "Thank you sir for finding me," she continues, "You will forever have my gratitude." "Oh it's no big deal," the man says while taking a bow, "My two daughters, they look up to you. They'll be so happy when they hear about what they're father did today." Ava hands the man a small bag full of money, "For your trouble." "Thank you my lady!" Replies the man as he bows and walks away. Ava then orders the maidens to leave the room. "Kiyoni," she sits on her daughter's bed, "Kiyoni, what's wrong?"

"Nothing mother." A look of disappointment comes across Kiyoni's face.

"There _is_ something wrong, I can see it on your face. Both Yusuke and your father told me what you did last night. Mind giving me your side of the story?"

"I tried to jump off the ship, plain and simple. Having my engagement announced like that was a huge embarrassment. I can't stand Yusuke! If I can't be with whomever I want, then what's the point in living?"

"Living is what will keep this village together Kiyoni. The people love you and they want to see you succeed, you know that. However, I think there's something else on your mind. I noticed it when you thanked the man who found you."

Kiyoni gets out of bed, "I can never lie to you mom. I'm disappointed because I was hoping I meet the man who saved me."

"You did that already."

"No I didn't! The man who saved me did not look like the one who was just here. The one who saved me had red hair and the most beautiful green eyes I've ever seen. At least I think he did."

"You think?"

"I don't know. It was all a blur."

Ava gets up and walks to meet her daughter, "Kiyoni. I know how hard your situation is for you, but you mustn't give up. I'm sure you and Yusuke will be just fine together. As for now, can you at least _try_ to be happy?"

Kiyoni skeptically looks back at her mother, "I can't make any promises, but I'll try."

"That's my girl." Ava kisses her daughter on the forehead before leaving the room.

Kiyoni then turns her attention to her bedroom window overlooking the sea, still thinking about what happened on the beach, "Was that my imagination," she asks herself, "I pray to the gods it wasn't."

Inside his bedroom, at the sea palace, Kurama lies in bed still thinking about the events that happened last night and this morning; the kiss being the biggest thing. "I still can't get her out of my mind," he thought, "I have to see her again." Kuronue and Karasu enter Kurama's bedroom through the balcony. They've been concerned about him since last night.

"Hey buddy, why you look so down?" asks Kuronue.

"If you need someone to cheer you up, I'm here," Karasu sits down on the bed. Kurama immediately gets up after. "I'm fine you two stop worrying about me," he demanded.

"So who did you see," asks Kuronue.

"Who did I see? That's what I like to know. All I know is that she was beautiful." Kurama swims towards his balcony. The other two follow. "Is it unusual or uncommon to say that I'm in love this early," he asked.

"So you _are_ in love with a human! Do you know how long I've been trying to get you to fall in love with me? How could you, you two-timing thief!" Kurama stares blankly at Karasu. Karasu swims towards Kurama's bed and cries.

Kuronue sighs, "The nitwitted drama queen does have a point sort of."

"Come again," Kurama asked.

"I remember when I fell in love with a human after I visited the surface. Over time, I lost those feelings because I realized that we could never work out. I mean, look at them and look at us. Humans can survive on land. _We_ survive on water. They do what they call 'walking' to get around. We _swim_ to get around. _And_ at a much faster pace than humans. You're just going to have to let go of whatever feelings you have for that human. Even if you wished to be with her, it's not going to happen."

"But I want to see her again, Kuronue. Even if it's for one last time." Kurama puts his head down. He's getting depressed at this point.

Kuronue wraps his arm around his friend and pats his shoulder, "I know you feel that way buddy, but it'll pass trust me."

Just then, a royal attendant enters the room, "Prince Kurama, your presence is requested in the throne room."

"Thank you I'll be right there," Kurama responds. The attendant leaves. "I wonder what's going on," Kurama lifts his head up and heads for the door.

"It probably has something to do with those mermaids we saw," Karasu implies.

"Mermaids? What mermaids?"

"Oh yea, on the way here we saw a group of mermaids enter the palace," Kuronue answered.

"Well I guess we better check things out." Kurama exits the room, Kuronue and Karasu follow behind.

The three mermen enter the throne room. What they find surprises them all. Sitting in the center of the room is Kurama's parents, Emperor Youko and Empress Shiori. In front of them stands ten mermaids; five on each side of the room facing each other. These ten mermaids are maidens that the royal couple have selected for their son. Kurama approaches his parents.

"Mother, father. What's going on?" Kurama asks after bowing to his parents.

"Kurama, my son, now that you've turned eighteen, it's time for you to find a bride," Youko answers, "So your mother and I have chosen these ten mermaids for you in the hopes that you'll find a suitable match for you."

"You did all that for me?"

"Yes son we did," Shiori replied, "We want you to be happy. Hopefully you can be happy with one of these maidens. Go ahead and take a look."

Kurama follows his mother's orders and observes the mermaids. They're a pretty mixed bunch physically: tall, short, red hair, blonde hair, dark hair, light to medium complexion. There's even diversity in the size and shape of their breasts. As Kurama is checking out the mermaids, Kuronue and Karasu are in the background talking amongst themselves.

"I bet ten clam shells he doesn't find a bride," Karasu declares, "There's not a single one of these mermaids that'll catch his eye."

"You obviously don't know Kurama, Karasu," Kuronue continues, "If you bet ten, I'll bet twenty that he does."

After his observation, Kurama turns his attention towards his parents, "I must say, you were very thorough in your selection. Unfortunately, you've wasted your time I'm afraid."

"What do you mean," both parents ask in unison much to the shock and dismay of the mermaids.

"None of these maidens are what I'm looking for."

"Karasu, Kuronue! You two were with him last. Explain this," Youko asks sternly, he knows what the three mermen did last night.

Karasu stars off, "Well your highness, to put it bluntly-,"

Kuronue interrupts, "Kurama went up to the surface and developed feelings for a human girl."

"I understand you, Kuronue, were in the same situation once before," Shiori implied.

"Yes your highness, but that's…in the past now," he replied, "As a matter of fact, I just warned him about this."

Youko turns his attention to his son, "I think it's safe to say that your mother and I are disappointed. You know a relationship between someone from the surface world and someone from the sea world can't work; your worlds are completely different. It's precisely why we can't allow the worlds to merge."

"Yes father, I know."

"Which is precisely why we will enforce your banishment from the surface world."

Suddenly everyone, except for Youko and Shiori, goes into a state of shock.

"Father you can't be serious."

"I am. Need I remind you who you are? You are the son of the Emperor Youko, prince of the Sea of Japan. It is time for you to start making preparations for when you succeed me. And one of the first things for you to do is to find yourself a bride. It's impossible to handle your responsibilities while focusing your attention up above."

"Yes and I _want_ to find a bride, believe me. Right now I just think my bride is not here. She's certainly not in this room."

"And you think your bride is that human girl?"

"I don't know. She might be. I can't know for sure if I'm not allowed to find out."

"I'm sorry my son, but that cannot happen," Shiori interjects.

"But, mother-"

"ENOUGH! I WILL SPEAK NO MORE OF THIS!" Youko declares, "Until you get those ridiculous ideas about the surface world out of your head, you will no longer be allowed visit that world. Do I make myself clear?"

Kurama stands silent. "Kurama…?" asks Shiori. "Yes father. Yes mother. Everything is clear." He storms off, Karasu and Kuronue quickly follow after bowing to their rulers.

Kurama returns to his room clearly upset at this point. Once inside, he swims back and forth to help get his thoughts together. It isn't long before Kuronue and Karasu enter the room.

"Kurama? Are you ok," asks Karasu.

"Does it look like I'm ok? How could you two do such a thing?"

"Look buddy. When you have a friend whose parents are royalty and are asking you questions, lying is the last thing on one's mind," Kuronue answered.

"I…I can't do this," Kurama says.

"Can't do what exactly," asks Kuronue.

"I can't sit here and think about becoming my father's successor right now. Not until I get back to the surface. Not until I see her again."

"And just _how_ are you going to do that," asks Karasu, "From the way I understood things, your banishment is mandatory and effective immediately."

"…I don't know, Karasu. I just don't know."

Later that night, while everyone in the sea empire sleeps, Kurama quickly slips away from his room and away from the palace, absolutely determined to return to the surface world. But what Kurama doesn't know is that there's someone out there, who's ready to give him exactly just the help he needs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It's late at night in the Sea of Japan. Kurama is a few miles away from home when he comes upon a strange site: a large school of Japanese angelfish exiting a nearby cave. "The Japanese angelfish. It's rare to see those around here," he says to himself. In an instant, the fish notice the sea prince and migrate towards him. Upon arriving, the fish surround Kurama completely and begin to glow; showing off their bright, beautiful colors. Pretty soon, Kurama was caught in a swirl of bright pink, blue, orange, and gold. It truly was a beautiful sight. As the fish continue to swim around him, Kurama soon finds himself sleepy and dizzy. Unable to stay awake, Kurama falls asleep. The fish then take the sea prince back to the cave.

As the fish make their way into the cave, Kurama in tow, they are guided by a voice in the background, "Yes. Come to me, young prince." The fish reach their destination, the voice orders the fish to lie Kurama on the cave floor. They disperse afterwards. Kurama slowly regains consciousness. When he does, he notices that he's in the same cave he saw the angelfish swim out of. "What am I doing here? What's going on?" He asks himself. The mysterious voice calls out to him, "Glad to see you're awake."

"Who's there? Show yourself stranger," Kurama alerts himself.

"Easy there young prince. I'm not here to hurt you in any way. In fact, I'm here to help you."

"Help me with what? I ask you again to show yourself."

"I've seen what you've done; the kiss that you gave that human girl."

"Ah! You saw that?"

"I saw everything! Even your attempt to save her during that storm. You must really care about her."

"…I think I do. I want to go back to the surface to be sure."

"…I can help you…"

"Say what?"

" _I_ can help you."

"Help me? How?"

Suddenly, a figure, encased in a bubble, emerges from the shadows. Its energy lights up the cave. Upon seeing the light, Kurama turns around to look at its source. He's amazed by what he sees. The source of the energy is coming from Mukuro. She's wearing a maroon colored sleeveless top with khaki-grey pants. The right side of her body seems to be badly burned. She has each one of her hands bandaged and has a cover underneath her monocle covering her right eye. Kurama continues to stare at her in awe.

"Greetings, Kurama, prince of the sea," she continues, "I am Mukuro. I am a demon who is here to help you grant your wish."

"A demon? And what type of demon are you exactly?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm a mischief demon. I like to cause trouble among humans. However this time around I decided to do things differently. And _you_ are the perfect start."

"'The perfect start' huh? I'm not sure how to take that."

"I rather not get into the particulars if you don't mind."

"Fine. So about my wish? Why do you want to help me? For all I know, that human could've died after I left her behind."

"And there lies the fun part. You see, the human is alive."

"She's alive?" Kurama is pleasantly surprised.

"Yes and in danger I'm afraid."

"Danger, how?"

"It just so happens that the human girl you kissed is a village princess. A princess who's engaged to someone else."

"She's engaged?" Kurama gets disappointed.

"Yes, but here is where it gets better…and worse. She doesn't want to marry her fiancé."

"So what's the 'worst' part?"

"There's another demon who wants to make sure she does. His name's Hiei."

"But why?"

"To put it simply, he hates love. He thinks it's pointless. I say love is necessary. Without it, where would humanity be?"

"And all of this comes together how?"

"I want to put an end to Hiei's plans by bringing you and the human girl together. I want to show him that love can conquer anything. But I can't do it if you don't want to participate."

"NO! I'm in, I'm in! I'll do anything if it means I get to see her again."

"I knew you'd swing my way."

"So what do I have to do?"

"Here's what I have in mind: the wedding between the princess and her fiancé will take place at the end of summer. My plan is to turn you into a human and have you put a stop to the wedding."

"Sounds reasonable. But I'm not clear on what my role is."

"Simple. Once you're human, you must find the princess and court her. Once she's in love with you, she'll call the wedding off. You'll have all summer to do it."

"Yes I'll do it. When do we start?""

"Calm down young prince give me a chance to explain things. There are some rules to follow."

"And they are…?"

"Number one: Once you arrive on the surface as a human, you must have a new name. For now, let's use the name 'Shuuichi Minamino'."

"Ok. 'Shuuichi' it is. Rule number two…?"

"Rule number two: you must never reveal your secret to anyone. Except to the princess and only when the time is right. The first day of your meeting would be bad timing for example."

"Ok, keep my mouth shut. Anything else?"

"Just those two things really. Oh, there is one more thing I should tell you about." Mukuro pulls out a piece of crystal on a string from her pocket and places it around Kurama's neck.

"What's this?" He asked.

" _That_ is something special and useful. There comes a time when humans like to be physically intimate with each other. If things go that far between you and the princess, that crystal will help you."

"How?"

"You'll find out if and when the time is right."

Kurama looks at the crystal again.

"Now for your final warning."

"My final warning?"

"Yes. Time is of the essence in this scenario, Kurama. You must move quickly."

"And why is that?"

"Don't think I'm doing this simply out of the goodness of whatever heart I have. I expect something out of you if you don't come through."

"Such as?"

"If you don't get the human to marry _you_ instead of her fiancé by the end of this summer, you will be turned back into your original form and die. Do you still want to go through with your wish?"

Kurama remains silent. He's thinking about the upsides and downsides to this ordeal. He's made his decision, "Yes."

"Then your desire shall be fulfilled." Mukuro raises her hands to begin the spell. A wall of bubbles and foam surround and engulf the sea prince. As he's covered in sea foam, he begins to feel pain throughout his lower body. At the same time, he struggles to breathe normally. His body's changing and he can't do anything about it. In the middle of his transformation, Mukuro guides Kurama to the surface. She doesn't want her romantic soldier to suffocate on his first day as…a human.

The next day, while out fishing, two siblings are suddenly struggling to bring in today's catch on their boat. The siblings are members of the Kuwabara family; Kazuma and his older sister Shizuru. Their parents are owners of a fish market in the village. Kazuma is in front and responsible for bringing in the brunt of their fishing net while Shizuru brings up the rear.

"Geez baby brother, and I always thought you had some extra weight on you."

"If there's anyone who had extra weight on them, it's you Shizuru."

"Ooh if it weren't for this net I swear I'll have you swimming with the fishes by now. Don't tempt me."

"Oh shut up and pull."

The siblings pull and pull on the net until they finally get it on the boat. Once that was done, and the siblings take some time to rest, they notice something unusual in their net…a naked man. It's Kurama, he's made it to the surface, this time as a human.

"What the hell," Shizuru asked.

"Is he dead," asked Kazuma. Shizuru moves the net around to get a better look. Never in her life has she seen a human caught in the family fishing net.

"Careful sis. He could be dead for all we know."

"Shut up idiot I know what I'm doing." Shizuru reaches out a hand to check for any signs of life. Once she touches the body, Kurama wakes up startling both himself and the siblings.

"Holy crap, he's alive!" Kuwabara exclaimed falling back on the boat. Scared and unsure what to do, Kurama attempts to jump off the boat. Shizuru stops him before he can get back to the water. "Whoa, whoa, whoa easy there," she continues, "It's ok, you're in good company." Understanding what was just said, Kurama calms down and takes a moment to analyze what's going on…starting with himself. The first thing he noticed was his legs and feet. The second thing he noticed was that he's naked, completely naked. Kazuma looks away in shame while Shizuru (although blushing) tries to talk to him.

"Are you ok," she asked. Kurama takes a moment to see who's talking to him. Although Shizuru is human, she's not who Kurama is looking for.

"Hey, are you ok? Do you know who you are or do you understand what I'm saying?" Shizuru asks again.

"Yes. I'm…fine," Kurama answered. Kazuma hands Kurama a blanket to cover him. "Well at least you understand our language," says a relieved Kazuma, "So what's your name?"

"Oh my name is Ku-, I mean Shuuichi. My name is Shuuichi Minamino."

"Nice to meet you Shuuichi. I'm Kazuma Kuwabara and this is my older sister Shizuru."

"Hey," Shizuru responds.

"So Shuuichi, how did you end up here in the middle of the sea?" Asks Kazuma.

"I…I don't know. Everything's a blur at the moment."

"Well that's gotta be tough," Shizuru continues while handling the fish, "You got family or friends around here?" Kurama shakes his head 'no'.

"Do you have a place to stay at least," Kazuma asked. Kurama shakes his head 'no' again.

"Well you're in luck. It turns out there's a noodle restaurant next door that could use some extra help. They might even provide you with room and board. I can put in a good word for you if you're interested," insists Shizuru.

"Yes, that'll be great thank you," Kurama says with a smile.

"Alright then it's done. Hey baby brother, get us back to shore will 'ya?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah keep your shirt on," Kuwabara replies. As the boat that Kurama and the Kuwabara siblings ride on makes its way to land, Kurama is secretly ecstatic about his journey. His first step towards winning the heart of the village princess is complete, and now he prepares for the second step.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Within about two hours, Shizuru, Kazuma, and Kurama arrive on land. The father of the Kuwabara siblings, Hitori, meet the three along the village harbor.

"Hey you two, what took you so long," he asks.

"What are you talking about dad? We made it in normal time," Kazuma replies exiting the boat.

"Are you sure about that? Last time I checked, I sent you two out to retrieve fish, not another person," Hitori points towards Kurama who's helping Shizuru get the fish out the boat. The blanket he received to cover him was wrapped around his waist.

"Oh him? He's new in town. We caught him in the net."

"Why the hell was he in the net? Oh well, I hope this new guy is just as useful as you two," Hitori walks towards the boat to meet Kurama.

Shizuru notices her dad and begins making introductions, "Hey dad, this is Shuuichi Minamino. Shuuichi? This is our dad, Hitori Kuwabara."

"Nice to meet you sir," Kurama greets him while taking a bow.

"Same here. So where are you from," asks Hitori.

"We already asked him that to no avail," assures Shizuru.

"I'm sorry, my mind is still fuzzy," continues Kurama.

"Well I guess that can't be helped. Come on inside. I'm sure I have some old clothes for you that you can have," Hitori insists.

"That'll be great, thank you. I hope I'm not imposing on you," Kurama answers.

"No, not at all," Hitori replies. The four make their way inside.

A short time later, Kurama steps out of Hitori's room wearing a purple and black happi, green pants, and sandals. He meets the Kuwabara family in the kitchen.

"Looking good," Kazuma implies.

"Yeah not bad at all," Hitori follows.

"Thank you very much for the clothes," says Kurama.

"It's no big deal Shuuichi. In fact, whatever clothes I can't wear anymore, you can have," assures Hitori.

"Thank you, I welcome that," Kurama replies. He takes a seat at the table along with Hitori and Kazuma.

"So now that you're somewhat settled, what do you plan to do," asks Hitori.

"I was thinking of taking him to Keiko and Yukina's restaurant. They could use the help," Shizuru answered while serving the men breakfast.

"Oh that's a great idea. They did say they were looking for people," Hitori retorts, "I don't suppose you know how to cook do you Shuuichi?"

"No I don't, but I'm sure I can help in other ways."

"I can take him sis, it's no big deal," Kazuma says.

"You just want to go so you can annoy Yukina again. I'm not stupid baby brother," Shizuru responds. Kazuma has had a thing for Yukina ever since she moved into town about two years ago.

"Leave your brother alone Shizuru. He can't help that he's in love," declares Hitori.

The four take their seats and begin to eat their breakfast; it is today's catch of the day along with miso soup and rice.

Kurama curiously looks around the room, "Forgive me for asking but, isn't there a Mrs. Kuwabara that we should be waiting for?"

The siblings eat in silence. "No there isn't I'm afraid," Hitori responds with a sad but calm look on his face, "My wife died last summer from an illness."

"I apologize. I didn't mean to impose on such a sensitive subject," Kurama proclaims.

"It's alright. Fortunately, what my wife knew, my daughter Shizuru knows now."

"I do what I can dad," Shizuru replies.

After breakfast, Shizuru and Kazuma lead Kurama down the road to a small restaurant. It's called the Akabeko and its owners are Keiko Yukimura and Yukina Korime. The owners are getting ready to open up for the day when they're approached by the Kuwabara siblings.

Kazuma is the first to speak, "Good morning Yukina, Keiko. What lovely weather we're having."

"Oh, good morning Kazuma," Yukina responds, "The weather _is_ nice today."

"Good morning Kazuma, Shizuru, and…oh, you have a new friend," greets Keiko as she's looking at Kurama.

"Keiko, Yukina, this is Shuuichi Minamino. He's just arrived in town this morning. If you're still looking for some extra help, he's your guy," assures Shizuru.

"Oh, that'll be lovely, thank you," welcomes Keiko, "Shuuichi why don't come with us and we'll show you how things work around here. We do have some extra room if you'd like to stay with us as well."

"Thank you, I'd appreciate it greatly. Anything I can do to help," Kurama responds. He then follows the women into the restaurant.

"Well that worked out well enough," Kazuma concludes.

"Yeah it did," follows Shizuru. They both make their way back home to set up shop for the day.

Inside the restaurant, Keiko and Yukina are both demonstrating to Kurama what it means to work in their establishment. After proving a few times what he's learned, Kurama gets the hang of things rather quickly much to the delight of his new bosses. An hour later, the restaurant opens up for the day. Another couple of employees enter the restaurant and are quickly put to work along with their new coworker.

A few hours later, during the early afternoon hours, a carriage fit for the upper class, arrives at the Akabeko. A waitress inside the restaurant quickly notices the carriage and notifies both Keiko and Yukina. They both inform her to be at the ready for when their special guest arrives. The carriage driver dismounts from his post and opens the door. A female figure exits from the carriage and enters the restaurant. She's greeted almost instantly by the restaurant patrons and the waitress who noticed her. Kurama is walking away from cleaning a table when he notices the young woman, it's Kiyoni, the very woman he became a human for. "Mukuro was right, she is alive," he thinks to himself. Just like before, he is mesmerized by her overall beauty. She is seen wearing a silvery white cheongsam dress with gold trimming and a gold sash around her waist; accentuating her wide hips. Her hair is pulled back neatly in a right-sided, low-positioned ponytail; the ends of her hair in loose curls. As the waitress leads Kiyoni to her table, Kurama is stuck standing in the middle of the restaurant's walking area, unaware that he has work to do. "Shuuichi! We could use some help over here!" Yukina shouts while taking orders from customers. "Oh, right I'm sorry I'll get back to work," Kurama responds.

The waitress leads Kiyoni to a private room in the restaurant, a room only reserved for her. She is lead to a table and takes her seat. "Would you like some tea to start you off my lady," asks the waitress. "Yes, please," responds Kiyoni. The waitress leaves and slides the door closed behind her. In the meantime, Kiyoni takes out her journal and begins writing. This restaurant is one of the few places in the village where she can feel alone and at ease. When the waitress responsible for serving Kiyoni makes it to the counter to fix the tea, Kurama rushes over to get some information about her, "Excuse me for asking, but who was that young lady that just walked in?" "Oh, that's Kiyoni. She's like the village princess around here. She's a regular too," the waitress politely answers.

"A regular," he asks again.

"Yes. She comes here every Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday," says the waitress. Just then, an order is placed out front, ready to serve. It's a lunch dish consisting of vegetable ramen, with barbequed pork cutlets and a rice bowl on the side. "That must be her lunch. Every time she comes here, she orders the same meal," she says. The waitress notices the food and asks Kurama to serve it to Kiyoni while the tea is getting prepared. He happily obliges.

Kurama then walks to the reserved room, slides open the door, enters the room, and slides the door behind him. Kiyoni takes a moment from writing to notice the person walking in. She is completely taken aback by what she sees. "Red hair, green eyes," she mentally questions herself, "Is this the one who saved me?" A moment of silence takes place. Two people who met by chance of fate back along the shoreline, were now found in the same room, at the same time. Kurama takes the same moment to get his wits together, "Good afternoon my lady, I bring you, your lunch." He takes a bow. Kiyoni directs him towards the table, "Good afternoon, please come." Kurama walks to her table, kneels down, places her lunch on the table, stands up and takes another bow before walking out the room. "Stop. Wait a minute," Kiyoni insists, "Are you new here? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

Kurama turns around and replies, "Yes. As a matter of fact I just arrived this morning. I've been working in the restaurant ever since."

"Is that right? Well…what's your name?"

At that point, Kurama wanted to tell her everything; the truth. He wanted to tell her his real name, where he was really from, who and what he is, and why he had come all this way to this point, but then he remembered the conversation he had with Mukuro. The phrase, "The first day of your meeting would be bad timing for example", kept repeating itself inside his head. So instead, he simply answers, "It's Shuuichi. Shuuichi Minamino."

"Nice to meet you Shuuichi. My name is Kiyoni Ikeda. I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your work. Since, this is a small village, I try to make it a point to get to know everyone."

"It's fine. You're not interrupting anyone or anything. I hear you're royalty around here so I consider it an honor for your curiosity about me." He takes another bow. By then, Keiko opens the door to find Kurama standing inside with Kiyoni. She takes a bow towards Kiyoni before entering the room with tea and asking Kurama for help again.

"Oh I'm sorry Keiko, I didn't mean to keep him long. Please Shuuichi, go ahead," Kiyoni insists.

"A-as you wish my lady," Kurama responds while taking another bow. He then leaves the room.

"So he's really new," Kiyoni inquires.

"Yes, he's the new hire. He wasn't causing you too much trouble was he," Keiko asks back while serving Kiyoni her tea. Kiyoni shakes her head 'no'. "Good. Well I'll leave you to your lunch." Keiko takes a bow and leaves the room, sliding the door closed behind her.

Kiyoni takes a moment to reflect on what just happened. "Red hair, green eyes? He has to be the one," she thought to herself. She then brushes her hair behind her, says a quick prayer, and eats her lunch.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Back within the dining area, Kurama continues his work serving tables. Soon, everyone notices his improved mood. It's not long before Keiko and Yukina notice his demeanor as well. They talk amongst themselves. "Should we tell him," asks Yukina. "Oh, I hate to ruin his first day," Keiko replies, "But then again we have to. We'll tell him tonight after hours." The owners return to work.

Sometime later, Kazuma returns to the restaurant; he's anxious to see Yukina. He carries with him two buckets of fish from this morning. He walks through the front door when the patrons notice the smell and start to complain. Keiko walks up to him, "Kazuma! How many times do I have to tell you not to bring fish through the front door? You take that to the back!" "Oh! Whoops, sorry about that," Kazuma replies, "Didn't mean to do that. Is Yukina around?" Keiko nods her head, "Yes, but she's busy of course. Please take those buckets out back." When Kazuma reaches the back of the establishment, he finds Kurama standing on a stack of logs outside of the window of the room where Kiyoni is; he wants to see how she's doing. "Hey, Shuuichi what are you doing," Kazuma asks. Upon hearing him, Kurama's foot slips off the logs and falls backwards on the ground, "Ow." "Hey are you alright," asks Kazuma as he rushes to Kurama's aid. "Yes I'm fine," Kurama responds while getting up and rubbing his lower back.

"What do think you were doing standing on those logs?"

"Well…I was…trying to take another look at Kiyoni."

"What for? Don't tell me you have a thing for her?'

"I think I do, yes."

Kazuma leads Kurama away from the window and sighs before speaking, "Look buddy, there's something you should know about her."

"What is it?"

"I hate to tell you this but, she's…unavailable."

"What do you mean 'unavailable'?"

"She's engaged."

Kurama already knows about Kiyoni's engagement, but allows Kazuma to go on, "Oh, is that right?"

"Yeah. She's engaged to this guy named Yusuke Urameshi. He's the prince of a village nearby."

"So what's this Yusuke like?"

Kazuma walks over to pick up the fish and places them in a tub full of water, "Well…from what I heard, he has a lot of pride and strength to him. His father, Lord Raizen, once led an army to wage war against China. He ended up taking down a quarter of the Chinese army by himself."

"Ok that's Lord Raizen, but what about Yusuke?"

"Well…Yusuke knows what his father knows I guess. They have the same fighting spirit. However, Yusuke has a tendency to be selfish."

"Selfish?"

"Yeah. Ever since the arrangement was made for Yusuke and Kiyoni to get married, he's been a little possessive of her."

"How come?'

Well…to be honest with you…the trade-off of their arrangement benefits this village more than the other."

"And, what exactly does that mean?"

"In exchange for Kiyoni's hand, this village gets clothing and weaponry. Yusuke's quick to remind people about it as if we were so desperate for those items. If you ask me, it's unnecessary."

"How so?"

"We don't need it! We've been living peacefully ever since Lord Akio took over. It's such a shame for a beautiful heart like Kiyoni's to go to waste."

"Maybe something should be done about it." Kurama leans a shoulder against the back of the building.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Shuuichi. Big consequences will come your way."

"Such as?"

"The main condition of their marriage is for Kiyoni to bear Yusuke a child. The wedding will take place at the end of the summer. Kiyoni has to remain pure until then."

"Bear a child?" Kurama is surprised to hear about this. Mukuro has never mentioned anything about bearing children.

"Yep. However, if you want to get in between that…well…it's been nice knowing you." Kazuma leads Kurama back inside the restaurant.

"Now what does that mean?"

"Ugh! It means you're a dead man if you try to get too close to Kiyoni. It's best to admire her from a distance, trust me."

Kurama turns his attention towards Kiyoni's room. She is seen exiting the room and approaching one of the waitresses. "Hey, Shuuichi. Did you hear me," Kuwabara asks. Kurama is still staring at Kiyoni, "Yes…I heard you."

Meanwhile, Kiyoni approaches a waitress and asks to speak with one of the owners. The waitress leaves to find one. She later returns with Yukina. "Hello, Lady Kiyoni. How can I help you," she asks. "I think I should be asking _you_ that question," Kiyoni replies.

"Help how?"

"You tell me. I want to work in your establishment today. Tell me how I can help if that's alright of course."

"Why yes it is Kiyoni! It'll be quite an honor! Come with me, I'll show you around." Yukina is excited about this opportunity. Kiyoni has a reputation for helping out around the village. Her mother used to the do the same thing during her childhood/adolescent years in Africa and wanted to instill the same benevolent trait in her daughter. Kiyoni wants to volunteer to work in the restaurant not only for her reputation, but to secretly get to know her village's newest resident.

The restaurant thrives on this day. All the employees are putting in their fair share of work. Yukina handles the books, Keiko manages the kitchen, and Kurama and Kiyoni (along with a couple of employees) waits tables. The patrons take delight in the overall positive atmosphere; a very good start to the summer season. During dinner hours, Kurama and Kiyoni take some time to rest. They stand out back to get some fresh air. A gentle breeze surrounds them. "Mmm, that breeze feels nice," Kiyoni states with her arms outstretched. "Agreed," Kurama follows.

"So Shuuichi, how do like working here?"

"It's great. I'm learning a lot of things."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Oh I'm learning about the people here, culture, how to handle working inside of a kitchen," they both laugh at that last part.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Is there anything else you've learned?" She's referring to her engagement.

"You mean your engagement?"

Kiyoni leans her back against the building and hangs her head down, "Yes…that. Who told you?"

"Kazuma. One of the Kuwabara siblings."

"Makes sense. Everyone here knows about it."

"You don't sound too happy about it."

"I'm not. I so wish I can end it."

By then Keiko calls for the both of them to come back inside. Dinner hours are winding down and the two are needed for closing.

At the end of the day, the restaurant owners, along with the establishment's employees, are all sitting around a table inside the room where Kiyoni had her lunch earlier. The owners make it a point to pay off earnings to their employees before they retire for the night. "OK. Before we turn in for the night, I would like to say that we had a very productive day and that I'm proud of each and every one of you," Keiko declares. "Yes, we're both so very proud. A job well done to all," Yukina announces.

"We especially like to thank our volunteer of the day, Lady Kiyoni, for sharing her time with us," Keiko continues.

"It's no big deal, really," Kiyoni replies, "And while I still have the floor, I would like to congratulate both Ms. Keiko and Ms. Yukina for expanding their employee base." She points her hands towards Kurama's direction. He blushes.

"That's right! First day on the job well done, Shuuichi," Keiko proclaims.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," he responds.

"Now that that's done, let's split our earnings," Yukina decrees as she divvies up the money.

"You can split my cut, you two," Kiyoni insists, "You need it more than I. Besides it's getting late. I should be heading home. Excuse me." She gets up, takes a bow, and leaves the room. "Uh, Kiyoni wait," Kurama calls as he too gets up to leave the room. Keiko and Yukina look at each other questionably. "We'll handle that later," Keiko says. Yukina continues her previous action.

Outside the restaurant, Kiyoni is walking out the door and towards her carriage. It's been standing there since she arrived earlier. Kurama manages to catch up to her. "Kiyoni, wait," he asks. She turns around to face him, "Yes? What is it?"

"About what we discussed earlier…you know? You're engagement?"

"What about it?"

"Earlier I suggested that you weren't too happy about it. Now where I'm from, engagements are kind of seen as something positive. May I ask why you're unhappy?"

"I shouldn't be telling you this seeing as how we just met but, I'm unhappy because…I have no one to give my heart to."

"Explain, please."

"When my parents married, they did so out of love and personal gain. When I get married, it'll just be out of personal gain. I don't want that at all. I want to experience love. So far I've yet to meet someone who shares that same feeling. I'm afraid I never will." A look of sadness comes across Kiyoni's face. At that point, Kurama wanted to inform her that her search is over. He wanted to take her into his arms and tell her that he too wants to experience love…and to acknowledge that feeling with her. However, he remembers the conversation he had with Kazuma and the conditions that were placed on Kiyoni's engagement. Under his breath, he instead says, "I wouldn't give up just yet."

Kiyoni's eyes widen with anticipation, "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

In a clear tone Kurama responds, "Love is out there Kiyoni. Don't give up on it. It'll come to you."

"You think so?"

"…I know so."

Kiyoni smiles at the thought. Somehow the things that Kurama said had given her a sense of hope. With her newfound positive attitude, she climbs inside her carriage. The carriage driver closes the door and climbs to his post. Kiyoni looks out the window. "It was nice meeting you Shuuichi. Don't be a stranger ok," she suggests.

"As you wish," he responds. The carriage takes off. Kurama smiles at today's events. He's feels more confident about his decision to come to the surface. He later walks back inside the restaurant to prepare for bed.

Not far from the Akabeko, Hiei watches the events unfold using his Jagan eye. He takes a moment to analyze what he saw. "Interesting," he says to himself. "What's interesting," asks Mukuro coming in from behind.

"That red-haired one, he's your champion?"

"Yes and a perfect one I might add."

"Where did he come from?"

"If you must know, he is a merman, a sea prince."

Hiei laughs, "A fish? You're going to make the princess fall in love with a fish? Oh that's hilarious Mukuro. So typical you."

"He's not a fish, he's a human. You _do_ know what a human looks like, don't you?"

"Oh yes I know…but he's still a fish!" Hiei continues laughing for little bit then slowly stops as he's looking at Mukuro's serious face, "Oh you're serious."

"I am. I'm confident he'll win her heart and I'll win your eye."

"Alright, fine. We have our champions and the stage is set. May the best demon win," he vanishes.

Mukuro makes a smug smile as she looks up at the moon, "That eye of yours will be mine Hiei," she thought, "Just you wait and see."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Back inside the Akabeko, Kurama makes his way back to Yukina and Keiko as the other employees leave for the night. He walks inside the dining room where his bosses are waiting for him. "Oh, Shuuichi. There you are, come on in," insists Yukina.

"Sure thing. Is there something wrong," he asks while taking a seat at the table.

"Oh there's nothing wrong. We just want to talk to you. That's all," Keiko answers.

"Alright. What about?" Kurama takes a seat at the table.

"It's about Kiyoni and your…'association'…with her," Yukina says.

"Yes. We want to tell you now that…maybe you should slow things down with her now before things get too hectic," Keiko advices.

Kurama puts his hands up in the air as if he's surrendering to his bosses, "I understand, Kazuma already told me of Kiyoni's engagement. She confirmed it when we spoke outside."

"She did," asks Keiko.

"Yes. Kazuma also warned me about getting too close to her. So there's no need for you to worry."

"Well that's a relief," Keiko goes on, "Yukina and I were worried about you. We heard that whoever gets involved in an extra premarital affair with her will wind up dead. Since you're new here, we wanted to make sure you get a head's up."

"I understand Keiko. Again, there's no need to worry."

"Great! Now that that's settled, let's turn in for the night. The sleeping quarters are upstairs. Follow us please," Yukina informs before getting up from the table.

"Certainly." Kurama gets up and follows the women upstairs. Once there, he is lead to a room with only a futon and a lantern on the tatami floor and a closet for his clothes.

"Sorry the room is not as fancy as you may have thought," Yukina apologizes. Although the room _isn't_ as fancy as his room back the sea palace, at least he has a place to sleep.

"No apologies are necessary you two. This will be fine." He steps inside his room.

"Our rooms are down the hall so if you need us, just say so ok? Good night," Keiko says. Both she and Yukina retire for the night.

"Thank you and good night," he responds. Keiko closes the door. He then walks to the middle of room, analyzing his current situation. Pulling out his futon and preparing for bed, Kurama looks out the window. Kiyoni's talk of wanting to end her engagement and the warnings he's heard from Kazuma, Keiko, and Yukina all repeat themselves in his head. Looking at a piece of the full moon outside puts his mind at ease. "So…I'm dead if I win her heart and dead if I don't. This is definitely a challenge," he thought before going to sleep.

The next morning, the village slowly comes to life as the last remnants of the previous night make way for the rising sun. The Kuwabara siblings come ashore with the day's catch of the day. Fieldworkers head to the farmlands and tea fields. Judging by the amount of morning dew on the ground, it's expected to be a warm day like the one before.

Inside the Akabeko, Yukina is the first to rise. She later awakens Keiko. At the same time Yukina is making her way downstairs to the restaurant, Keiko walks to Kurama's room to wake him. Upon opening his door Keiko announces, "Shuuichi, it's time to get up." Kurama squirms in an attempt to wake up. Half-asleep, Kurama mutters, "I'm getting up." Back in the sea, Kurama would usually wake up sometime around mid-morning, and dawn was not mid-morning. "Waking up at this time of day is going to take some getting used to," he says still waking up. Yukina is arranging the restaurant when she sees Hitori walking to the door, she meets him there. "Good morning Mister Kuwabara," she greets. "Good morning Yukina," Hitori remarks, "Is Shuuichi awake? I came here to give him some clothes that I promised." He lifts up a package of clothing as proof.

"Oh, Shuuichi? I don't know if he's awake yet. Keiko should've taken care of that by now. I can take that to him if you like." She outstretches her arms.

"Oh will you? Thank you so much. Somehow we caught a large amount of fish today so I got to get back to work. Tell him I said hello." Hitori makes his way back home.

"Ok I will." Yukina brings the package inside. Kurama is slowly coming downstairs when Yukina meets up with him.

"Good morning Miss Yukina," he continues yawning and rubbing his eyes, "What's with the package?"

"It's for you Shuuichi. Mister Kuwabara says that he promised to give you some clothes." She hands the package over to him.

"Oh that's right he did. I guess I better get dressed then." He turns right back around and heads upstairs.

"Wait! Don't go up there. You have to get cleaned up first. Please, go wash up outside. You can use the well out back for water. Keiko is in the kitchen, so she'll have a fire ready soon if not by now."

Kurama comes down from walking two steps, "Oh my apologies. I'll go outside." He then walks through the main dining area of the restaurant and through the kitchen to go out back. Keiko stops him in the kitchen.

"Where are you going," Keiko asks.

"Out back to clean up."

"Ok. Could you bring in some fish when you're done? There should be a few left out back."

"Sure, as you wish." He steps outside to complete his tasks. When he gets there, he suddenly gets an idea to go to the beach. He goes for it by making a beeline for the front door, clothes in tow.

"Where are you going Shuuichi," inquires a tailgating Keiko.

"To the shore, I'll be right back."

As Kurama heads to the beach, Keiko thinks to herself, "That guy. He's certainly a unique one."

Kurama manages to reach the shore not far from the Kuwabara family. After finding a hiding spot for him to get undressed, he disrobes and jumps into the water. Given that it's still early in the morning, the sea water isn't exactly warm by normal human standards, but Kurama is used to it. He swims further and further into the sea. The memories of his homeland come back to him. He swims as if he's back home…sort of. It's not long before he reaches the surface for air and makes his way back to the shore. Upon doing so, he thinks to himself, "As much as I do want to go back, I can't right now. Not until things between Kiyoni and I are settled." As soon as Kurama emerges from the water and finds some clothes to wear, he alerts himself to the sounds of humming in the background. He looks around to see where it's coming from. It's Kiyoni coming to the shore wearing a chocolate brown, full length tunic and matching head scarf. The tune she's humming is an old African song taught to her by her mother. She is also carrying, what looks to be, a large jar with her. Kurama immediately hides himself from her. "I wonder what she's doing here," he asks himself. Kiyoni reaches the water, jar in hand. She steps inside just enough for her to gather water in her jar. When the jar is filled, she places it on the top of her head, just like her mother showed her, and heads back to the palace. She's done this many times. Kurama is fascinated with her talent. "Hmm. Beauty, grace, and the strength of a dolphin. Impressive," he thinks to himself, "Ah! I have to bring back fish for Keiko." He disrobes again and swims for fish. Kiyoni turns around upon hearing his splashing sounds. He was already gone by then. She continues her trip home.

Kiyoni makes it home and walks around back to the palace garden. Her plan for today to assist her mother volunteer to teach the village's children. Her mother will teach at the school and Kiyoni will teach a class in the garden. At the same time Kiyoni is preparing her supplies and tools, Yusuke comes walking around the veranda wearing a dark blue yukata. He notices Kiyoni in the garden and greets her, "Good morning Lady Kiyoni." She's instantly displeased, "Good morning Lord Yusuke. What do you want now?"

"Oh I just wanted to see your lovely face again. I didn't even know you were out here."

"You came all the way over here just to see me? Do you expect me to believe that?"

"You're so lovely when you're angry. I hope you don't stay that way once we're married. I expect for my future wife to look her absolute best when I'm around."

Kiyoni mumbles, "Don't count on it."

"What was that?"

"Ah! I said…you can count on it my lord!" She laughs awkwardly.

"Hm." Yusuke leaves to prepare for breakfast and for the day ahead much to Kiyoni's delight and relief. He looks back to watch Kiyoni continuing her work and notices her figure through her tunic. "I can't wait until I get my hands on what's underneath that garb," he thinks to himself with a raised eyebrow.

The day goes on as planned. All of the merchants are open for business, the farmers work in the fields, and the schoolchildren are taking in lessons from Lady Ava. It's lunchtime, and Kiyoni has a little bit of time before the children come to see her. She's in her bedroom, pen and paper ready, when a handmaiden, wearing a green yukata, steps in. "You called for me my lady," asks the maiden. "Yes I did. Come in please," Kiyoni responds with a "come in" gesture.

The maiden takes a bow, "What is it you wish of me?"

"Since its lunchtime, I was wondering if you could take down an order for me."

"Yes my lady."

Kiyoni writes down her order as if it's a note and hands it to the maiden, "Here you go. I like you to take this to the Akabeko please."

"Yes ma'am," the maiden leaves the room and later the palace. At the gate, the maiden encounters Lady Ava and the schoolchildren. "Good morning Lady Ava, children," she takes a bow. "Good morning young lady. Children? Say 'good morning'." "Good morning ma'am," the children greet in unison. They enter through the palace gate led by Ava. The handmaiden continues her task.

The maiden reaches the Akabeko just as two patrons exit. She is greeted almost instantly by Kurama, "Good morning and hello miss. Will you be dining alone today?"

"No. I'm here to deliver a message from Lady Kiyoni." The maiden hands the note over to him.

"A message from Lady Kiyoni?" His eyes widen with anticipation.

"Yes. I was ordered to deliver the message here."

"Alright I'll give this to the owners. Thank you." He bows to her. She bows back and exits. Kurama makes his way to the kitchen where Keiko is.

"Excuse me, Miss Keiko?" He taps her on the shoulder.

"Yes? What is it?" She's currently cutting potatoes.

"I have a message for you."

"From who?"

"Lady Kiyoni."

Keiko turns around, grabs the note, and begins to read it, "Could you find Yukina for me?"

"She's actually upstairs for a short rest."

"Fine we'll meet her up there. Let's go." Keiko exits the kitchen first. Kurama follows, "Wait a minute. 'We'?"

"Yes. Believe it or not this message involves you."

Kurama stops walking just before reaching the steps "Uh oh. Did she see me?" he asks himself. He then walks upstairs.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Keiko is the first to reach the second floor. Kurama arrives shortly after, "What do I have to do with that note Miss Keiko?" "You'll find out once we meet up with Yukina. Keiko opens the door to Yukina's room. She finds her on the floor meditating facing the window. "I'm sorry to interrupt Yukina, but we have a situation here that needs to be taken care of now," Keiko informs. Yukina turns around to face Keiko and Kurama, "You're not interrupting, and I was just about to get up anyway. What's the matter?" Keiko hands the note over to Yukina for her to read. Keiko sits next to her. The note reads as follows:

"To Miss Keiko and Miss Yukina. Hello and good afternoon. I know this may sound unusual by normal standards, but I'm writing to ask a favor from the both of you. I would like for you to prepare a lunch for me. I'll order the usual but make it a double if you could. I'm expecting a guest for a private lunch today at the palace. I promise to pay you the next time I arrive at your establishment.

Thank you so much. Also, I would appreciate it greatly if you could have my order delivered to me by your newest employee."

"Oh my," says a surprised Yukina, "She's never done something like this before."

"You're telling me," replies Keiko.

"What does the note say," questions a still confused Kurama.

The women pause for a moment. Keiko starts off, "…Lady Kiyoni has asked us to prepare a lunch for two to be delivered to the palace."

"…And she wants _you_ to make the delivery," Yukina finishes.

Kurama steps back from the doorway in total shock physically, but delighted and excited mentally.

"Somehow I don't feel right about doing this, but If it's what our lady wishes," Yukina looks down.

"We'll prepare the food. Shuuichi, please continue working until the order is ready," Keiko orders.

With a relaxed composure, Kurama responds, "Yes ma'am." He then walks downstairs to continue working.

The women take a moment to think things through. "Do you think Lady Kiyoni is attracted to Shuuichi," Yukina inquires.

"Hard to tell. I don't want to call it out just yet," Keiko responds, "We better get going." The women get up and leave the room headed for work.

Within the next one to two hours, Kiyoni's order is finished and is given to Kurama to make the delivery. Before he steps out the door, Yukina gives him a warning, "Please be mindful when entering the palace. You'll get in trouble if you don't."

"Don't worry Miss Yukina. I'll drop this off and come right back. You have my word," he responds before walking off. Yukina nervously watches as he walks away, "Please do."

In the front yard of the palace, Yusuke is going through his martial arts training with his guardsmen. Lord Raizen has encouraged him to continue this training until the wedding. Four guardsmen surround the young lord. All five men are holding wooden staffs in their hands. The guardsman from behind Yusuke's left side strikes first and attacks from above. Yusuke turns to block the attack followed by a side kick to the torso. Another guardsman comes from Yusuke's front right side to come at the prince from behind. Yusuke swings his staff around just in time to trip the guardsman. The other guardsmen attack Yusuke at the same time, one from above, and one below. Yusuke jumps to avoid the bottom attack, swinging his staff to make contact with his attacker. He's knocked down to the ground with an attack from above to the torso. The match is over. "You have to be careful with your moves my lord," says a guardsman. Yusuke gets up in a huff, "Oh shut up. I just got distracted that's all." At that moment he hears a voice in the background coming from the front gate. "Hello? Is someone there," it's Kurama and he's arrived with Kiyoni's order. One of the guardsmen opens the gate just enough for his head to poke through. "What is it," he asks. "Oh! There was an order from Lady Kiyoni to have her lunch delivered here," Kurama responds purposely omitting the part where Kiyoni wanted _him_ to deliver the food. "Who's outside," questions Yusuke. "Some man who says he's brought food for your fiancée my lord," answers the guardsman. "What the hell for," Yusuke asks while walking to the gate. He opens the gate to meet up with Kurama. "Hello my lord. Lady Kiyoni has asked for her lunch to be delivered here," he says after bowing to Yusuke.

"Oh, is that right?" Yusuke stands with his arms crossed.

"Yes, my lord."

"Hokushin, could you inform Kiyoni that her…meal is here?" Yusuke looks at Kurama with disdain. He automatically assumes that Kurama is after his bride.

Hokushin bows next to Yusuke, "Yes my lord." He then makes his way to find Kiyoni.

"In the meantime, why don't you step inside and wait for a bit?" Yusuke steps away so that Kurama may enter.

"Why thank you my lord," Kurama graciously bows to Yusuke.

All the while, Hokushin manages to find Kiyoni still in the garden; the children had already left for the day. He approaches her from the veranda, "Lady Kiyoni?"

Kiyoni is watering her roses, "Yes? What is it?"

"There's someone out front who says he's brought lunch for you."

Kiyoni eyes widen out of the hope that it's Kurama that Hokushin is referring to. Watering can still in hand, Kiyoni turns to Hokushin, "I did ask for a meal to be brought to me. Could you send him here please?"

"But what about your lunch with your parents and Lord Yusuke?"

"Inform them that I will not be attending. I'll have my own lunch." She turns to continue watering.

"Yes my lady." He takes a bow and reports to the front gate. When he gets there, he finds Kurama as an unwilling participant in an impromptu sparring match with Yusuke. Each man has a wooden staff in their hands. "First one to the ground loses," Yusuke declares while his guardsmen watch, Hokushin included. The men circle around each other trying to come up with an advantage. "This guy is weak. I can take him down easily," Yusuke thinks to himself. "I take it this is Yusuke," Kurama concludes to himself, "Let's see how this goes. The guardsmen egg the men on with cheers of "You can do it Lord Yusuke!" and "This guy is nothing my lord." Yusuke makes the first move by lunging forward in a jousting motion towards Kurama. Upon understanding Yusuke's move, Kurama spins to Yusuke's right side and swings his staff around from behind, causing Yusuke to trip backwards; the match ends. The guardsmen are in shock. Kurama turns to Hokushin, "May I deliver the food to Lady Kiyoni now?" Hokushin reponds, "Ah! Yes! Follow me please." Kurama drops his staff, grabs Kiyoni's lunch, and walks behind Hokushin. The rest of the guardsmen tend to Yusuke who is still sitting on the ground. "Are you alright my lord," one asks. "Yeah, yeah," Yusuke answers while standing up. He grabs his staff from the ground, "One more round before lunch."

Hokushin successfully reaches Kiyoni in her garden, "Your lunch my lady," he announces.

Kiyoni turns from her flowers and notices that Keiko and Yukina had followed her order upon looking at Kurama. "Thank you Hokushin. You may leave," she commands. "Yes my lady," Hokushin takes another bow and departs. Kiyoni leaves her garden to meet Kurama on the veranda, taking her garden shoes off along the way. "Good afternoon…Shuuichi?" She asks for confirmation. "Good afternoon to you as well my lady," Kurama takes a bow, "I have brought you your lunch as requested."

"Thank you. This way please." Kiyoni leads him to a small room where two handmaidens are already waiting for them; they were notified of the appointment earlier. One of the handmaidens grabs the food from Kurama and sets it on the table to be properly displayed for lunch. Both Kiyoni and Kurama watch as the maidens do their work. "So, I hear you're hosting a private lunch," Kurama assumes. "Yes I am," she responds.

"And your special guest? I take it he or she is important?"

"Possibly."

The maidens finish their task and leave the room. "Lunch is served," Kiyoni announces, "Come sit with me."

"Come again?" Kurama looks at Kiyoni with shock in his eyes.

"My special guest is you Shuuichi. Stay and have lunch with me. Please?"

"Why me?"

"I told you. I make it a point to get to know everyone in this village, and that includes you."

"I'm not so sure about this Lady Kiyoni. People might start talking."

"Let them talk. I'm sure they have nothing better to do anyway." Kiyoni walks to the table and takes her seat, "I'm not going to eat all this food without you. Please join me."

Kurama knew deep down inside that he wanted to join her. In fact, he was overjoyed for her invitation. Throwing social logic out the window, Kurama gives in, "If you insist my lady." He then removes his shoes, walks to the table and takes his seat. They say a quick "Itadakimasu" before eating.

"So what is it you want to know about me my lady," questions Kurama.

"As much as possible," she answers before taking a bite of ramen, "…I want to know who you are, where you're from, what brought you here. The basics to start."

Kurama thinks about those questions for a moment, he doesn't want to tell her the truth just yet. "Well my name, to start, is Shuuichi Minamino. Unfortunately, I cannot recall where I'm from or why am I here. It's safe to assume that I developed some sort of amnesia upon my arrival."

"How unfortunate. How did Miss Keiko and Miss Yukina come to know you?"

"We were introduced by the Kuwabara siblings."

"And how do you know them?"

"They…found me."

"They _found_ you?"

"Correct. They were out fishing when they found me washed up along the shore."

Kiyoni's eyes narrow upon hearing Kurama's false story, "It's…terrible that you lost your memories. At least the Kuwabara siblings found and took care of you. This village does have its share of nice people.

"I agree. So far almost everyone here has been welcoming towards me. Including you my lady." Kurama takes a bite of the barbecued pork cutlet.

Kiyoni blushes a little, "Thank you. I know that Yusuke is out front. He didn't give you any trouble did he?" She asks with concern.

"Not really. He gave me a hard time but I was able to handle it."

Kiyoni exhales deeply with her hand over her heart, "Oh thank the gods."

"Is there something wrong?"

Kiyoni sighs, "Yusuke has a tendency to be…"

"Selfish?"

"Exactly! How did you know?"

Kurama laughs a little, "Can you blame him? If I had a bride as beautiful as you, I would be a little protective myself."

Kiyoni blushes, "Thank you. Speaking of, are you married or do you even remember that much?"

"I may not have all my memories, but I will say for certain that I'm not married unfortunately."

Kiyoni thinks to herself, "He's not married? I may have a chance after all." Just then Yusuke (upon hearing from Hokushin on Kiyoni's whereabouts) arrives to see his fiancée eating with Kurama. "What the hell do you think you're doing," he asks them both. "We're eating Yusuke. What does it look like," Kiyoni asks back.

"Eating lunch with a commoner? That's not how things work Kiyoni. I thought you had that lunch made for the two of us." Yusuke turns his attention to Kurama, "And you? What are doing eating lunch with a lady of the upper class? Why are you still here?" Yusuke grabs Kurama by the collar of his yukata. Since Kurama is royalty back home, he automatically thought he was in the right in eating lunch with Kiyoni. However, neither Kiyoni nor Yusuke know of Kurama's true identity. He simply says, "I apologize my lord. I'll be going now."

"Yusuke, please stop. He's here of my own invitation," Kiyoni insists.

"I want him gone, Kiyoni," Yusuke requests still clenching Kurama's collar.

"Fine. Just don't hurt him," she relents looking downward.

Yusuke releases Kurama's collar. After of couple of moments, Kurama adjusts his clothing and gets up.

"I'll walk him out," Kiyoni begins to rise.

"No need," Yusuke sticks his arm in front of Kiyoni. He then walks to the door where two of his guardsmen are waiting outside. "Men, please escort this…gentleman to the palace gate," he asks.

"Yes my lord," they respond in unison.

"I'm so sorry about this Shuuichi," Kiyoni assures feeling embarrassed.

"It's fine. I appreciate the invitation my lady. Take care," Kurama calmly takes a bow to Kiyoni and again to Yusuke before leaving. Yusuke slides the door closed. "What were you thinking, Kiyoni; dining with someone of a lower class? That's not how a lady of your standing should act," Yusuke berates, "Surely you know of this by now."

"Need I remind you that I come from two different cultures," Kiyoni indicates, "That means my behavior goes as I see fit. Also, _you_ should know that I make it a point to get to know the people of this village. I did the same thing when Miss Yukina arrived here two years ago."

"I don't care. You are my bride. It's time you act that way," Yusuke demands before leaving the room.

Kiyoni sits at the dining table silent and humiliated, but delighted. She had the chance to get to know Kurama, and she wants to know more.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Kurama makes his way towards the palace gate followed by two of Yusuke's guardsmen. Upon arriving at the gate, Kurama is pushed outside to the point where he stumbles to the middle of the road; to which the guardsmen find comical. One of them gives Kurama a stern warning, "In case you didn't know, you should be mindful of Lady Kiyoni's trothplight to Lord Yusuke. He might not be so merciful the next time;" the same warning he's heard many times by now, told differently. Kurama stands silently calm but annoyed. Kiyoni wasn't lying when she said that everyone knew of her arranged future. "Now leave if you value your life," warns the other guardsman. Kurama takes heed to their warning and slowly walks away towards the akabeko. Within a few feet away from the gate, he hears a voice in the background, "Shuuichi! Shuuichi, wait!" The guardsmen turn to see Kiyoni approaching them with what shapes up to be a small bag in her right hand. They brace themselves for her arrival. "Lady Kiyoni, what are you doing," they ask while barricading the door stopping her in her tracks. "I forgot to pay for the meal, please let me through," she insists. "We cannot my lady," a guardsman claims. "It's alright you two," Yusuke assures walking not far behind, "Let her through." The guardsmen follows his order, Kiyoni runs out to catch up with Kurama. "Keep a close watch," Yusuke commands in a low tone. The guardsmen nod in acknowledgement and step outside.

Kiyoni manages to catch up to Kurama not far from the palace gate. "Oh, I'm so glad I caught you," exclaims a slightly winded Kiyoni. "Lady Kiyoni, is there something wrong," inquires a concerned yet gladdened Kurama.

"I apologize once again for Yusuke's behavior today. It was utterly inexcusable," she takes a bow and hands him the bag, "Please take this. It's my payment for the meal along with extra for your trouble."

Kurama gently pushes the offer away from him, "Please my lady, you don't have to pay for his actions. Receiving your sudden invitation was more than enough. As for the meal, you can make your payment the next time you come to the restaurant."

"Please Shuuichi, I insist. I wouldn't feel right in letting you leave empty-handed, especially after your ordeal." She pushes the offer back to him, her facial expressions resemble that of an innocent child.

Kurama notices Yusuke's guardsmen watching him from a small distance. He doesn't want to cause any more trouble for Kiyoni. He takes a step back, places his hands behind his back, and bows, "I'm sorry my lady, but I cannot accept your payment right now. I'll wait for your payment the next time you arrive at the restaurant. Please excuse me." He turns and walks away, his hair lightly flowing along the summer breeze. She watches him, completely taken by his overall demeanor. She couldn't believe that this newcomer, this stranger with apple red hair and wearing a mulberry yukata had the audacity to define the, unofficial, number one rule of her village. It is at that moment, when Kiyoni mentally asks herself, "He came all this way, because I asked him to. I wonder if he has the courage to do so of his _own_ free will." A palace handmaiden steps outside to observe all of the commotion. "Lady Kiyoni," she loudly announces, "You're presence is requested in the main room." "I hear you. I'm coming," Kiyoni responds still watching Kurama walk away. Reluctantly, she turns and heads back to the palace.

Inside the main room, Kiyoni's parents wait for her along with Yusuke. Both he and Akio sit with their legs crossed in front of them while Ava sits in the seiza position. Akio is wearing a mustard yellow kimono over a white nagajuban and gray loose fitted pants. His hair is in a top knot. Ava is wearing a light, violet kimono over a periwrinkle nagajuban. Her hair is in a braided Mohawk hairstyle of her own design. Yusuke is wearing a pineapple yellow kimono over a pair of tortilla brown pants, facing his future in-laws. The door of the main room opens and Kiyoni enters, "I'm here." She takes her seat, seiza style, next to Yusuke and gives a slight bow to her parents. "Glad you can make it, Kiyoni," Akio affirms, "We thought you wouldn't have time to do so since you made your own plans." He's referring to his daughter's impromptu lunch with Kurama. "Completely irresponsible," Yusuke mumbles under his breath. "No one asked you, Yusuke," Kiyoni interjects with a side eye. "Calm yourself Kiyoni," orders Ava. Kiyoni exhales deeply through her nose and relaxes her clenched hands in an attempt to compose herself.

"I apologize mother, but Yusuke was completely overreacting," she continues, "Shuuichi is a new resident of this village and I simply wanted to help him get acquainted to living here. I did the same thing when Miss Yukina came here two years ago. Yusuke acted the way he did out of pure jealousy."

"Yes, we are aware of what you did back then Kiyoni," Akio goes on, "And up until now, your mother and I have allowed you to do such things. However, you are engaged to young Yusuke here. You know it's best to limit your time with other men, whether you want to 'know' them or not. You're purity _is_ a part of the arrangement."

"Yes, I know that father," Kiyoni looks down.

"And as for _you_ , Yusuke…," Akio directs his attention to his future son-in-law, "You're behavior was understandable but inexcusable. You are to be mindful of that next time."

"Yes, sir," Yusuke looks down in affirmation.

"Now then. It's time we get the real reason I've called the both of you in," Akio continues, "We want to let you know that Ava and I will be going back to Africa. Her father has passed away and Ava insists that we attend the funeral."

Kiyoni gasps. Yusuke asks, "A funeral? You can't be serious. When are you leaving? I can send my guardsmen with you."

"That won't be necessary Yusuke. We'll be properly protected along the way. We leave for Africa at dawn tomorrow. Unfortunately, we will be gone for a while. That is where the two of you come in. You will be responsible for the maintenance of this village. Yusuke, since you will be taking my place upon my death and, in accordance to, your marriage to my daughter, I leave most of the responsibility to you as acting lord."

"What?! You can't be serious, father! He's my grandfather! I should come along with you," Kiyoni objects.

'You cannot do that, Kiyoni," Ava responds, "You're much more needed here."

"But, it's not fair," Kiyoni looks down again, slumped in disappointment.

"Don't worry Lord Akio, I'm sure Kiyoni and I will be just fine. Your village is in good hands," affirms Yusuke.

"Splendid! That's just the response I expect from you, Yusuke," announces a relieved Akio, "Ava? Could you excuse us for a moment?"

"Certainly. Come Kiyoni," Ava gets up along with her daughter and leaves the room so that Yusuke and Akio can have a private conversation.

"Pay close attention, Yusuke. You must keep this in mind while I'm gone," Akio instructs with narrow yet stern eyes, "Even though you're in power temporarily, it is important that you take my daughter's opinions into account. She knows more about this village than you since this is where she was born so treat her with respect. I have a feeling she'll have a higher level of tolerance for you if you do this. Is that understood?"

Yusuke changes the position of his legs and bows to the floor, "Understood sir. I'll do my best."

Meanwhile, Ava has her own private conversation with Kiyoni. They walk near the palace garden. "Mother please, let me go with you to Africa," Kiyoni pleads, "I never had the chance to meet my grandfather or the rest of your family. It's the least I can do."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot let that happen," Ava avows, "You're much more needed here to keep Yusuke abreast of things. I find it slightly offensive that you want to see your grandfather just to get away from your future husband."

"But, mother…"

"That's enough Kiyoni. I will hear no more of this."

Sensing immediate defeat, Kiyoni sighs, "Yes mother."

"This is your home, Kiyoni. It's up to you to maintain it. Now's a good time to learn how to do so on your own. I'm sure your father is instructing Yusuke to be open minded to your ideas. That should put a smile on your face, right?"

Kiyoni takes a moment to think things through until Kurama's face comes across her mind. With her parents gone, all Kiyoni has to do is figure out ways to see him without Yusuke knowing. And since it's the summertime, she can spend some time outside at the beach, the farmlands, or the distant fields outside of the village. The amount of opportunities are nearly countless. It was those thoughts that made her smile.

"See? I knew that'll make you happy," Ava notices; her thoughts completely different from her daughter's.

Back in the sea, the entire underwater world is engaged in a search party for their missing prince. The influx of aquatic activity is the reason why the Kuwabara siblings were able to come across a large catch today. The search has been going on non-stop since Kurama was first discovered missing. Kuronue and Karasu have been leading the search since they were the last ones to see the sea prince. Kuronue tries his best to remain calm while Karasu is an emotional wreck. "KURAMA! PRINCE KURAMA! KURAMA, COME HOME MY LOVE! KURAMA," Karasu cries. He swims to the left of Kuronue. He swims to the right of Kuronue, frantically searching along the way; breaking through schools of fish just to get a look. He swims back to Kuronue, "Where is he? Where is our prince?" "Calm down, Karasu," Kuronue says upon placing his hands on Karasu's shoulders, "Crying and freaking out is not going to bring him back. We'll find him, don't worry."

"But we've been searching for nearly two days. We have every single living sea creature out there looking for him and not a single one of them has reported anything. I even have my special tracer fish out searching for him. What if we can't find him? What if we _never_ find him?" Karasu clenches Kuronue's wrists.

"Again, calm down. We'll find him," Kuronue assures. Just then, Karasu notices the royal entourage coming from behind. "It's Emperor Youko," he announces to Kuronue, turning him around. A group of ten sea soldiers, split into two groups of five, approach and surround the two mermen. The emperor emerges from behind, his silver hair shines in the sun rays as it sways along his self-created current, "Kuronue, Karasu? Any news?" "No, my lord. We've been searching, but we are unable to locate him," Kuronue replies with a bow to his king. "We have absolutely no idea where he could be," Karasu adds also bowing to the emperor. Annoyed and worried, the emperor commands, "Keep searching. No one rests until my son is found." The rest of the sea life scatter upon hearing the commands of the emperor. Karasu and Kuronue bow and do the same. "By the way, you owe me ten clam shells," Karasu says. "Why do I owe you ten clam shells," Kuronue asks.

"Remember? I betted ten that Kurama wouldn't choose any of those mermaids. You said twenty. I won so you owe me ten. Twenty, now, for asking."

"Really? You're bringing that up now?"

Later that night, Kurama helps Keiko and Yukina with closing for the day. He told them both about what happened with Kiyoni's lunch a few hours earlier (with a few ad-libs). They still find it unusual for her to act that way but, they brush it off. They found no sense in arguing with a member of the upper class, especially one with a kind heart like Kiyoni's. Kurama is out back handling the logs for the fire when he's approached by Keiko. "Shuuichi," she asks. "Yes," he responds.

"Miss Yukina and I are going to bed now. Have a good night."

"Alright. Sleep well." Keiko walks inside for bed. After handling the logs, Kurama sits down, near a small fire, to take a break. "Whew, what a day," he thought. "What a day indeed," inputs a voice in the background: Mukuro's.

"Mukuro? Is that you," he asks looking towards the shadowed area of the restaurant.

"Yes it is dear prince," Mukuro emerges from the shadows, her hands are in her pockets, "So, how's human life?"

"It has its challenges I'll give you that."

"Of course. Did you get a chance to see Kiyoni?"

Kurama's heart melts at the sound of Kiyoni's name, "I did. In fact, we had lunch together earlier today."

"And how did it go?"

He looks up at the starry night sky and sighs, "She's amazing Mukuro. Her eyes, her demeanor. The way she takes charge when necessary. Her compassion. Her smile….*sighs*. There's no way I can not be in love with her."

"I'm glad you feel that way. Your true test begins soon."

He looks back down and at Mukuro, "How soon?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Mukuro leans against the back of the restaurant, next to Kurama, "Tomorrow morning," she answers, "I managed to arrive at the palace just after you left to observe the girl, and found out that her parents are leaving for Africa, tomorrow morning, for a funeral. The only one who will stand in your way now is Lord Yusuke, but we've somewhat talked about that already."

"Yes. I've come across him as well," Kurama thinks in hindsight, "He's definitely…a character."

Mukuro laughs, "Yes. I think the same way about Hiei."

Kurama takes a few things into consideration and comes up with a thought, "Could it be that this Hiei fellow is working with Lord Yusuke?"

Mukuro raises an eyebrow, "My, my. Romantic and intelligent. I'm impressed. Yes, Prince Kurama. Hiei is the demon I spoke of who is working with Lord Yusuke. Well…as far as Hiei knows anyway."

"Come again?"

"Hiei hasn't had any conversations with Lord Yusuke like the conversations that you and I are having now. As far as Lord Yusuke is concerned, he doesn't know that Hiei even exists. However, that's not going to stop Hiei from helping him."

"So what's our next move?"

"Keep doing what you're doing, young prince. From what I could see, Kiyoni is aware to your charms and is not resisting any time soon."

A smirk comes across Kurama's face from that last bit. He wants Kiyoni to fall in love with him, but wants her to do so of her own free will and pace, even though she, technically, has until the end of summer to do it. It's flattering to know that she's interested at least. "I'll do what I can," he responds.

"Excellent. I'm starting to like you Prince Kurama," Mukuro places her hands in her pockets and walks toward the darkness, "I'll stick around for now. If you need me, just call for me, okay?" She disappears.

Kurama looks back up at the night sky, "My true test begins tomorrow. I hope I'm able to overcome it."

Back at the palace, the royal family sleeps in preparation for the next day. Yusuke is in his room chatting with Hokushin, his most trusted guardsman. A lantern illuminates the room as the two men sit, cross-legged, in front of each other. "So, Kiyoni's parents are leaving tomorrow," Hokushin asks. "Yeah. Her parents are leaving for Africa to attend the funeral of Lady Ava's father. There's no telling how long they'll be gone."

"Africa is a long way away from here my lord," Hokushin recollects.

"Yes, that's true. They might be gone all summer for all we know."

"So what do we do in the meantime, my lord?"

"Once they're gone, I will serve as acting lord with Kiyoni as my acting lady. I won't try to do too much to ruin what's already established here. So long as I can keep Kiyoni by my side, there's not much to do." Yusuke looks up and rubs his chin, "I must make sure Kiyoni remains true to her part of the deal." He thinks about the short interaction between Kiyoni and Kurama earlier, "I definitely have to keep _him_ away."

" _Him_ who, my lord?"

"That red-haired guy. I think his name is Shuuichi or something. I don't want that guy around Kiyoni at all."

"My lord, if I may…I have an idea," Hokushin announces.

"What is it?"

Hokushin looks at Yusuke with a raised eyebrow and an enigmatic smile, "Why don't you…take her for yourself as soon as possible? That way you won't have to wait until your wedding night."

Yusuke, furiously, lunges at Hokushin and grabs him by the collar, "Mention something like that again and I will rip out your insides and hang you with them, got it?" Both men breathe heavily for a moment.

"I-I'm sorry my lord. Please forgive me," Hokushin pleads. Yusuke lets him go so that Hokushin may bow to his ruler. "Forgive me, my lord," Hokushin pleads again.

Just then, the light from the lantern goes out. Yusuke looks around the room in total darkness. "Hokushin? Hokushin, where are you," he asks. He then hears the sounds of someone laughing evilly in the distance. "Who's there? Show yourself," he commands. "Relax, human. Or should I say, Lord Yusuke," inquires the intruder.

Still blinded by the darkness, Yusuke commands again, "Show yourself, or I'll make you."

The mysterious stranger laughs again then displays his glowing mind's eye, "You can try, but that'll be a waste of our time."

Yusuke turns to face the cryptic visitor, "Who are you?"

The outsider reveals himself using the glow of his jagan eye, "Greetings, Lord Yusuke. The name's Hiei. I've been watching you for the last few days and I like your style. I've come to offer…my assistance."

"What kind of assistance?"

"Word around town is that you're engaged to a young maiden who, let's just say, is not very fond of you right now."

"If you're referring to Kiyoni, then yes. She is my bride-to-be. Why are you bringing her up?"

"Simple. There's someone else who wants her. I'm here to help you make sure she gives herself to you and only you."

"How are you going to do that? And who's this 'someone else'?"

"You should know. You've seen him already."

Yusuke slams his right fist into his left palm upon realizing who Hiei is talking about, "I knew it! I knew that red-haired bastard was out to get her."

"Indeed," Hiei affirms.

"So what should I do? If there's anyone who's going to put their hands on her, it's going to be me." Yusuke points his thumb at his face.

"Leave most of the undercover work to me. I'll be sure to keep you informed on what's going on between those two. In the meantime, why don't you try your best to court her?"

"Fine, I can do that, but why are you doing this? Just who or what are you?"

"I've already told you my name. As far as what I am, I'm a demon who likes to cause trouble. However, I see that you and Kiyoni belong together, so I'm going to help you make sure that happens. I'm also doing this to prove a point to a…comrade."

"Let me guess. Another demon, right?"

"Yes. She'll be influencing his affairs just as much as I will," informs the short man.

"So you're going to help me make my life easier while making that guy's life a living hell just to prove a point? I like it," Yusuke sadistically laughs a little, "Kiyoni is as good as mine. I'll make an example out of that 'Shuuichi' bastard."

"Yes, keep thinking that way. I have the utmost faith in you, with my help, Lord Yusuke." Hiei disappears into the darkness. The lantern is relit and Yusuke finds himself standing the room with Hokushin again.

"My lord, are you alright," Hokushin asks looking up at his master, still sitting on the floor.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine," Yusuke answers. He sits back down and clears his throat, "Now then, tomorrow morning we will send Lord Akio and Lady Ava off. After that, we'll focus our attention on keeping Kiyoni around. By summer's end, she'll have no choice but to marry me."

"Sounds like a plan, my lord," Hokushin is unsure on just how Yusuke's plans will come to fruition.

The sun rises on a Tuesday morning. Everyone in the village attends to their daily routines. The people of the Ikeda home are gathered at the palace gate to send off Lord Akio and Lady Ava. Word of their departure has reached Kyoto, the place where the couple will depart for Africa. A carriage for them waits out front. Lady Ava wears a light yellow kimono with a royal purple obi. Her hair is still styled in a braided Mohawk. Lord Akio is wearing a forest green kimono with a solid brown sash around his body. In front of them is Yusuke and Kiyoni. Yusuke is wearing an admiral blue kimono with a black sash around his body. Kiyoni is wearing a short-sleeved, orchid purple kimono with a matching head scarf and magenta obi. She's still slightly upset that she has to stay in Japan. Behind them are all the palace handmaidens and guards. Lord Akio makes a final statement to everybody before boarding the carriage, "Everyone, I'd like for you to adhere to our daughter and future son-in-law while were gone. Treat them as if you would treat my wife and me. Is that understood?" The employees nod their heads in acknowledgement. Lady Ava follows, "Kiyoni, Yusuke, the two of you have to take the reins now. Please be mindful of each other during our absence." "Yes, mother," says Kiyoni, "Please give my regards to the family." Yusuke bows to his soon-to-be in-laws, "Your village is in good hands. I will take care of both it and Kiyoni to the best of my ability." "Precisely what we want to hear, Yusuke," Akio responds with a relieving smile. Both he and Ava climb aboard the carriage. Kiyoni and Yusuke take a step outside the gate to watch the carriage depart. When the carriage disappears from view, Kiyoni heads back inside with a couple of handmaidens. "Where do you think you're going," Yusuke asks not far behind. "Well I don't intend to sit inside all day. I'm going to volunteer my services in the farmlands," she retorts.

"Maybe I should join you."

"Yusuke, do you even know how to work on a farm?" She looks at Yusuke quizzically.

"No, but I'm coming anyway. I want to see how things work around here."

"Don't. Your help isn't necessary." She arrives at her bedroom.

"Kiyoni, I insist. Your parents encouraged us to work together or, at least, get along."

She places a hand in front of Yusuke to stop him, "You're not needed Yusuke. Please, leave me alone." Kiyoni steps inside her room, handmaidens in tow, and closes the door. He stands in front of her door, apologetic, "If it's about yesterday, I'm sorry." He really did want to go with her, but Akio did say to respect her wishes, and so…he walks away. A moment later, he catches Hiei hiding among the shadows of the palace garden. Ceasing his stride, Yusuke turns to face him and gives him a nod. Hiei nods back, Yusuke continues walking. At this point, Yusuke will let Hiei take over as his secret watchman. He can't wait to hear about what Kiyoni does when her husband-to-be is not around.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

As Yusuke walks out of Hiei's sight, the Jaganshi takes the initiative to spy on his charge's bride by opening his gifted eye to eavesdrop on Kiyoni's conversation. Meanwhile, Kiyoni changes out of her first set of clothes in favor of clothing that she will wear in the farmlands, using the assistance of her two handmaidens. "Ugh, the nerve of that guy," she continues, "First he embarrasses a guest in my home and then waits a day later to apologize. And then, on top of that, he only apologizes to one person! Just what kind of man does he think he is?" "Please my lady, do not be upset. I'm sure Lord Yusuke means well. Now that your parents are away, this is a good opportunity for the two of you to get to know one another," assures one handmaiden. "But I don't want to get to know him. I want him gone! I don't want to have anything to do with him," Kiyoni wishes. "But my lady, if Lord Yusuke wasn't around, who would have to marry," asks the second handmaiden. Kiyoni thinks about Kurama for a moment, "I don't know. As long as he deserves to be with me, he could be anybody." Hiei closes his Jagan, "We'll see about that," he says, internally, before disappearing.

Things start off like normal at the Kuwabara fish market. Since there was another large catch for the family, they asked Kurama to come help bring some of the fish to the restaurant, he obliges. "Thank you so much for your help today, Shuuichi," says an appreciative Hitori. "No need to thank me, I'm happy to do so. Think of it as my payment for your family's help in getting me settled here," encourages Kurama. Hitori hands Kurama a bucket of fish, "So, Shuuichi. Any luck on getting your memories back?"

Kurama shakes his head as both he and Hitori make their way to the restaurant, "Sadly no. However, given the warm welcome that I've received so far, it's comforting to make new ones here."

Hitori laughs a little, "'Warm welcome'. That's because it's summer now. Just wait until the colder months come around."

Kurama thinks to himself, "Colder months, huh? I'm curious to see what that is like. That's why this season is crucial."

Before the men approach the establishment, Hitori thinks about the amount of fish his son and daughter have caught in the last two days, "You know, Shuuichi, this is the second day in a row that my kids have brought in a large catch. Something must be going on out there in those waters." "You don't say," Kurama asks while looking at the bucket of fish he has in his hands. "I have a pretty good idea why. They must have figured out, back home, that I've disappeared and has sent the entire underwater world to search for me. Karasu and Kuronue leading the way, no doubt. I did leave without anyone knowing. Unfortunately, I have to keep my true identity a secret. Not until Kiyoni finds out first," he contemplates. When the men arrive in the back of the Akabeko, they dump the fish into a tub of water that has been prepared for them. Hitori exhales deeply and wipes the sweat off his brow, "I wonder how long our good fortune will last." "As long as I remain here, I'm thinking," Kurama determines in his mind.

Kiyoni arrives at the farmlands on horseback. She hopes that working here will help her take her mind off of yesterday's fiasco. For this project, she wears a cherry red happi with a black sash around her waist, dirt brown pants, and proper farming footwear. She has her hair down, but wrapped to keep it out of the way. "Good morning Lady Kiyoni," greets a young farmworker, "Do you plan to work with us today?" "Good morning and yes," Kiyoni replies while dismounting, "I feel like I need to release some tension. Where should I start?" "You can come with me. I could use some help with some of the rice that's just been harvested," the farmworker leads Kiyoni inside a farmhouse. Inside, there are five other women handling rice stalks. The rice, that's plucked from the stalks, are collected into a large bowl that will be deposited inside larger barrels to distribute throughout the village and its surrounding areas. Kiyoni sits next to the farmworker and gets to work. She grabs a bundle of rice stalks and starts picking, looking around the room as she works. "So Lady Kiyoni, how are things," asks an older farmworker. "Fine, for now, ma'am. My parents just left to attend a funeral, so, for the time being, it's Lord Yusuke and I who will be handling things," Kiyoni replies. "Interesting, I often wondered how he will fair here," says the elder woman. Kiyoni looks around the room again, "Have any of you met the new guy that arrived here? I believe his name is Shuuichi." "Oh, do you mean the one with the red hair," asks the younger worker, "I've seen him yesterday. He was carrying some food with him when we spoke. He seemed really nice."

"Really nice, huh? May I ask what did you two talk about?"

"Oh, it was a short conversation. He just wanted to know a little more about this village, that's all."

Kiyoni contemplates for a moment, "I see."

The elder farmworker asks, "I hope this young man that you speak of is just as warmhearted as you, my lady."

Kiyoni smiles at that comment, "Thank you ma'am. I hope so as well."

During a slow period at the Akabeko, Kurama is upstairs in his room with his pen and paper ready on a small platform. He plans to write a letter informing those at home that he's fine. Unfortunately, he doesn't really know what to say without revealing too much. He moves the platform away and lies on the floor in a huff. "What should I say," he asks himself, "Better yet, just how am I going to deliver this letter? Maybe Miss Mukuro can help." "Can help with what," Mukuro asks appearing behind him. "Miss Mukuro, you're here," he greets, startled.

"Please, no need to be so formal with me. I'm a demon remember?"

"Sorry, I'll keep that in mind. My trouble is this letter that I plan to send home. I'm unsure of what to say without telling everyone the truth."

"Hmm, that does sound like a conundrum," Mukuro rubs her chin, "I guess you can say that you're safe in another part of the world and that you'll return when the summer ends."

"Yes, I guess you're right." Kurama sits back up and writes his letter. When he is almost finished, Keiko comes upstairs to get him, "Shuuichi, business is starting to pick up, could you come down to help us, please?" "Yes. Here I come," he replies. Keiko shuts the door and heads downstairs. Kurama realizes that while he was talking to Keiko, Mukuro was still in the room with him, "Ah! Miss Keiko! She didn't…" "Don't worry, young prince, she didn't see me. In fact, no one can see me or hear me but you. I appear in front of other humans whenever I want to," Mukuro informs. Relieved, Kurama finishes his letter, "Now then, I wonder how this is going to be delivered home."

"Allow me," Mukuro grabs the letter from Kurama's hand, "I will personally deliver this letter to them myself."

"Fine by me. I leave it to you and thank you." Kurama gets up and heads downstairs. Mukuro looks at the freshly written letter, "Hmm. Having to deal with the sea world is not in my plans. However, I have a feeling Kurama is going to want to go back there eventually." She disappears from the Akabeko and reappears above the sea outside of the village, "In you go, little one." She encases the letter in a bubble and sends it off to be delivered to the sea palace.

Underwater, Karasu and Kuronue are still on the hunt for Kurama. They look towards the area where they encountered him the day after that stormy night. "Where could my prince be," Karasu asks looking along the sea floor, "Not even my own tracer fish can find him," he calls for Kuronue, "Any luck on your end?" "No. I can't find that bastard anywhere and we practically searched the entire sea," Kuronue answers. Just then, they mermen notice a glowing orb swimming along the sea current making its way to the palace. "What's that," asks Karasu. "Beats me," Kuronue says. They follow the orb until Kuroune grabs it. The bubble bursts allowing the mermen to hold and read the letter. "It looks like it's a letter…from Kurama," he exclaims. "He wrote a letter? Well, read it already," Karasu encourages. The letter says:

"To my parents and friends. I hope you all are doing well. I apologize for leaving so suddenly. I just couldn't take things at home, seriously, anymore. So I decided to do things on my own for a while. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Hopefully, I'll make it back before the summer ends. Until then, take care."

"That's it? That's all he has to say?" Karasu gets angry and crosses his arms, "He has the entire sea world looking for him and all he can say is 'take care'? He really doesn't know how selfish he is, sometimes."

"I'm just as surprised as you are," Kuronue states, "He didn't even bother to tell us where he is."

"Do you think his parents should know," asks Karasu.

"Of course, they're his parents. Let's go," Kuronue leads the way to the palace.

The day ends quieter than it began. Parents are sending their children off to bed, the marketplace closes up for the evening, and the natural sounds of the summer become the soundtrack to tonight's mood. At the Akabeko, Keiko, Yukina, and Kurama are closing up for the night. Yukina tends to the books, Keiko handles the dining area, and Kurama takes care of the kitchen. Keiko reaches the area where Yukina is working. "How did we do, Miss Yukina," Keiko asks. "Hmm, thanks to the fish that Shuuichi and Mister Kuwabara brought in, this is our best day of the summer so far," Yukina announces. "That's great to hear Miss Yukina," Keiko comments. Yukina turns the page over to prepare for the next day. She stops in the middle of writing tomorrow's date, "Already?" "Already what," Keiko inquires. "I just realized…that tomorrow is Wednesday. Lady Kiyoni comes here on Wednesdays," Yukina informs. Inside the kitchen, Kurama observes his work after completion, it's (virtually) spotless. "Miss Keiko taught me well, that she did," Kurama continues, "I'll have to thank her someday." He puts the broom away, grabs his lantern, and steps out of the kitchen. Along the way, he reaches the calendar to tear away the day. Tomorrow's date is, indeed, Wednesday. Kurama recollects the conversation he had with another waitress on his first day, "She comes here every Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday," she says. Kurama smirks at the thought, "I will see you tomorrow, Lady Kiyoni," he whispers.


End file.
